Fractured
by BadWolfInk
Summary: The story of Rory Williams and Rose Tyler
1. Chapter 1

1.

They'd run into each other the few times she'd been at the hospital since she'd gotten stuck. Once for a fractured wrist she couldn't explain, once for Tony's birth, and another time when Jake had played with the campfire and burned himself.

He was on his break that third time and noticed her sitting in one of the waiting rooms. "Hi," he said, coming to sit down. "What is it this time?"

"My friend is an idiot," she replied. "He's like a child sometimes."

He nodded. "Not all men are like that, don't worry."

Rose was silent. "Remember when I came in with a fractured wrist?" she asked quietly. "I hurt it trying to kill myself. I know you think it's weird that I'm telling you that, but I had to tell someone."

Rory studied her. "You've got a lot to tell, don't you?" he asked.

Rose looked down. "Yeah, I do."

"I'm not going to judge you on anything. If you want to tell me anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks." She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a card. "Call me when you're ready for me to dump all my problems on you. And trust me, I have lots."

"Rose, I'm glad we keep meeting." He tucked the card in his pocket and stood. "I'll be here for you whenever you need me. I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you again soon, okay?"

She smiled. "Thanks for not trying to fix me," she said.

He grinned back and left for the nurse's station. He'd liked Rose from the first time they'd met, and he was willing to listen to her if she needed it. He knew this relationship would be a lot different than his old one with Amy. Rose was a girl who needed someone to talk to, someone to be strong for her. He could be that for her.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

They'd been dating for a few months now, and Rory thought he should take Rose somewhere special to celebrate. And perhaps to talk about their future. They'd been taking their relationship at her pace: a few careful first dates, going a little further each time. As he dialed, he smiled, remembering their first kiss last week. It hadn't been much, just a tentative press of her lips against his, but he knew that it meant so much more.

"Rory?"

"Hi Rose. I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight."

"I can do after 6, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll pick you up at half past. Wear something nice."

He knew she was smiling on the other end. "Can't wait. I'll see you tonight."

Rory thought he heard a quick "I love you" before she hung up, but he shrugged it off as his imagination. His shift had better pass quickly.

"You look amazing," he said when she came to meet him in the foyer.

"You don't look half bad yourself," she replied. She waved goodbye to her mum and they walked out to his car. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. I hope you don't mind a long drive."

"How long is long?"

"45 minutes, give or take?" He pulled out of the driveway.

"More time to talk." Rose turned the radio on low. "I really like you, Rory."

"Should I be worried about where this is going?" he asked.

Rose held up a finger. "I really like you, and you're the only person other than my family, Jake, and Mickey who know my real story, where I came from. I've saddled you with all of my baggage pretty early on. So I'm giving you an out. If you want to just be friends, that's okay with me." She looked at him, falling silent.

"Rose, I'm never going to leave you unless you're absolutely sure you want me to go."

"I'll give you a rain check on that out, then," she said finally.

He reached his hand to find hers. "No need. I'll stay until you want me gone."

He saw her smile in the corner of his eye. "Thanks."

Rory decided not to bring up the subject of their future relationship after the conversation in the car because he knew it didn't need reiterating. It was late when they pulled up in front of her house after a long, fun evening.

"Do you want to stay over?" she asked quietly when he walked her to the door. "So you don't have to drive home at this hour?"

"Are you sure it's alright?"

Rose nodded. "There are plenty of spare rooms, and my parents won't care. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just don't want you falling asleep at the wheel…."

"You're absolutely sure?"

Rose opened the door and held it open for him. "I'm not ready to lose you quite yet," she said, ushering him in. She held a finger up to her lips, warning him not to wake her parents. She led him up the stairs. "This is the furthest guest room from my parent's room," she explained, opening the door to a plain, but beautiful room. "I'm just across the hall if you need me. Feel free to make yourself at home." She kissed his cheek and left, disappearing into another room.

Rory stood unmoving for a minute before stripping down to his underwear and tee shirt and after splashing water on his face in the ensuite bathroom, climbed into bed. He was glad he had the morning off and wouldn't have to worry about waking up and getting to work on time.

Around 2:30, he was woken by the bed shifting beneath him. "Rose?" he mumbled.

"I had a nightmare," she said quietly. "Can I stay?"

He was shocked at how much she sounded like a scared child. "Of course."

She nestled into him, trembling. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around her. It felt right, this closeness. Her tentativeness suggested she'd not wanted to break any barriers with him before their time, and quite frankly, he loved her for it.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

She was gone when he woke up, but she stopped by to tell him good morning. "I have to go to work," she explained. "See you later?"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me stay."

Rose smiled shyly. "Thanks for letting me come in." She waved and left.

Rory eased himself out of bed and put on his clothes from the previous evening. Somehow he felt it was a sort of walk of shame when he came down and Jackie waved to him. She offered him coffee before he left, but he politely declined and headed out to his car.

He took his time getting ready for his shift and barely arrived on time.

"Long night?" a co-worker asked.

"You could say that." His shift at the hospital passed mercifully quick, and he went to the pub for the football game afterward.

"How was your date with Rose?" Mickey asked, coming up behind him and clapping him on the shoulder. He sat down beside him.

"Oh, yeah. It was good." Rory paused. "Does she get nightmares a lot?"

"She had a lot when we first got here, but they lessened after a while. Why, did they start back up again?" Mickey was concerned now.

"She had one last night. I'd say it probably scared her half to death because she…well she climbed in with me."

Mickey faced him. "That means she trusts you. And I'm serious, if you ever break that trust, I will come find you. Rose is my best mate, and she's been through a lot. I'm glad she has you to be there for her." He took a sip of his drink. "She's needed a nice guy in her life for a while."

"I'm glad you approve of me. And I'm glad we're both rooting for the same team."

Mickey grinned. "I like you, Williams. I really do."


	4. Chapter 4

4.

"What are you doing for Christmas this year?" Rory asked during the title sequence.

Rose shrugged. "There's a Vitex party I'm probably obligated to show my face at. And it's Tony's first Christmas, so mum will probably go over the top this year. Why?"

"I'm going up to my parent's house and I was wondering if you wanted to come up and meet them. I mean, it's been six months already, and they've been wanting to meet you. I didn't tell them you were the Vitex heiress though. I want them to know you for who you are, not what the papers say."

She found his hand and squeezed it. "I feel like I'm always saying thank you to you," she said, moving closer. She kissed his cheek. "But thank you for being so considerate."

He started to reply but she held a finger up to his lips. "It's back on," she whispered.

Rory stretched an arm out and she tucked herself beside him, letting out a soft sigh of contentment as she did so. He pressed his lips to the top of her head lightly enough so she wouldn't feel it and smiled. He was the luckiest man in the world, to have her.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

The drive to Leadworth was spent telling her about traditions and warning her about the questions his parents would ask her. They pulled into the driveway of his childhood home three hours later. Rory pulled their bags out of the trunk and his father opened the front door to welcome them in.

"This is Rose," he said, putting the bags down in the front hallway. "Rose, these are my parents, Henry and Caitlyn."

His mother pulled Rose into a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you." She held her at arm's length. "You're Rose Tyler, aren't you?"

Rose smiled shyly and nodded. "Rory said you'd figure it out without me telling you."

Rory reached down for the bags. "Why don't you guys talk and I'll bring these upstairs." He didn't want to get involved with any more blame, but was glad his parents seemed to like her so far.

His dad stopped him at the top of the staircase when he was going down. "You're pretty serious about her, aren't you?"

Rory nodded. "I think some day I'll ask her to marry me. For now, I need to wait for her to make decision at her own pace. She's been through a lot and she's careful."

Henry put a hand on his son's shoulder. "If you think she's the one for you, I'm not going to tell you any different. I wanted you to know that."

"Thanks, dad." Rory went down the stairs to find his mother telling Rose a story about the first time he picked up a guitar.

"I didn't know you played," Rose said as he walked in.

He shrugged and sat down in the arm chair across from her. "I don't really anymore. It's something I did when I had more time, before I started working more shifts at the hospital."

"You should play something when we get back." Rose looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please?"

"Oh, alright." She smiled and he was glad he'd agreed. He had made a goal to make her smile every day. "But just one song," he added, fully knowing she'd be able to get a few more out of him.

"What would everyone like to do for dinner?" Rory's mother asked. "I was thinking maybe we could go to Rory's favorite restaurant."

Rose looked at Rory and shrugged. "Why not?"

He grinned. "Sure."


	6. Chapter 6

6.

They got home late and both Rory and Rose decided to turn in for the night. Rory led her upstairs and stopped in front of a doorway. "You can sleep in my old room or in the guest room. Whichever you pick, I'll take the other."

"I wouldn't want to kick you out of your own room," Rose said. "And I know you'll be right next door." She took her bag from him and went into the room next to his. She changed for bed and was curled up under the duvet reading a well worn copy of The Little Prince when Rory poked his head in the room.

"Settled in alright?" he asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

Rose scooted over to make more room for him. "Your parents are nice."

"Can I…?" he asked. She nodded and he stretched out beside her, turning his head to look at her. "If they're a little overbearing, it's because I didn't tell them much about you. But they seem to like you a lot, so that helps."

"It's nice to be out with family and be normal. When I go out to dinner with my parents, there's always the possibility of paparazzi coming around and ruining it for us. It's only happened once, but still."

He loved how she already considered his family her family. "From what I can see, you Tylers stay well out of the public eye for the most part."

"Dad's got a deal with the tabloid magazines. He screens most of the stuff before it gets published." She set her book aside and reached a hand to ruffle his already messy hair. "You should wear your hair like this more often. It looks nice."

Rory smiled. He took the hand she'd reached out and squeezed it. "What are you reading?"

"_The Little Prince._ It's one of my favorite books." Rose handed it to him.

"Want me to read it to you?" he asked, opening it. "Can I start at the beginning?"

Rose nodded and cuddled close, resting her head on his chest. Rory slipped an arm around her and held the book in the other hand. "Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book," he began. Rose nestled in closer, moving to kiss his cheek, and then focused on the pictures in the book. Rory managed to get about ten pages in before they both fell asleep. Before he drifted off, he managed to press his lips to her forehead. Christmas was shaping up to be lovely.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

He woke up to Rose shifting next to him. "Good morning, sleepy," she said quietly, smiling when their eyes met. "You're cute when you sleep."

"Are you saying I'm not when I'm awake?"

"No, you just look like a kid."

Rory pulled her close for a hug. "I was joking, Rose. I'm sorry."

She buried her head in his chest. "It's okay."

He felt stupid for speaking out loud and just held her, hoping she'd realize how sorry he was. "Do you want to walk around the town today? Or we could stay in, if you want."

Rose pulled back. "I want to see your favorite spots in town," she said quietly.

"Get dressed then. We can have breakfast at the coffee shop I used to play at." He kissed her forehead and climbed out of the bed, going to his own bathroom for a quick shower. He met her at the bottom of the stairs. "Normally I'd say we walk, but the snow…"

"When the weather gets warmer, we can come up again," Rose reassured him.

They ended up sitting on the bench at a small park on the outskirts of the quiet town. "I used to play here as a kid," Rory told her.

"We never had parks like this in London. Not ones I went to, anyway." Rose played with the snow at her feet. "It's so beautiful here, without the massive buildings crowding you in."

Rory reached down and flicked some snow up at her. "The best part about this place in the winter was the snowball fights we used to have."

Rose laughed and stood, making a snowball and lobbing at him. "Is that a challenge, Mr. Williams?" she asked.

"I believe it is, Ms. Tyler." Rory gathered an armful of snow and rushed at her, but she darted away, nailing him with another snowball. He decided to drop the armful and make individual balls, hurling them in her direction.

"I think I may have the upper hand," Rose commented, ducking the onslaught. "I work for Torchwood, remember?"

"How," Rory asked breathlessly, "does that make any difference?"

"I'm trained for attacks. Especially if the attackers are giant balls of snow."

She was right, she did have the upper hand. But he had surprise. She wasn't prepared for him to come running at her. They both fell in a tangle of limbs into the soft snow, laughing. "I win," Rory said, brushing the snow off her face.

Rose reached out a hand and grabbed his shoulder, pulling herself closer to him. Shyly, slowly at first, she pressed her lips to his. When he responded by wrapping his arms around her, she got bolder, tracing his lips with her tongue. They parted for air. "Wow," Rory breathed.

Rose ducked her head. "Well…I wanted to tell you that I…love you," she finished quietly.

Rory cupped her face in his hand. "I love you too, you know," he said. "But what I'd love more right now is to get out of the snow and go home and change." He stood and helped Rose stand. They brushed snow off of their clothing and Rose stood on her toes and kissed him again, smiling the whole time.

"Let's go," she said, "before we freeze." She took his hand and smiling, they walked back to his car, bumping each other along the way. He let her have the first shower and sat in his room wondering if she'd really said what he thought she'd said.

"Your turn," she said, standing in the doorway dressed in sweatpants and a vest top. "I'll be downstairs."


	8. Chapter 8

8.

"Your gift is at home," she said when they woke up on Christmas morning. "I didn't want to have to bring it here, and I figured we'd spend New Year's at my house."

"Having you here with me is gift enough." Rory hugged her and they climbed out of bed to meet his parents downstairs. They both grabbed cinnamon rolls and a cup of hot chocolate and curled up on the couch together. Rory stopped to take a rectangular gift out from under the tree, setting it on her lap.

Rose set her food and mug on the table and unwrapped it to find leather-bound copies of _Alice in Wonderland _and _Through the Looking-Glass_.

"I thought of you when I saw them," Rory explained.

Rose leaned over and kissed him thoroughly. "Thank you, Rory, I love them. Maybe you can read them to me someday."

He smiled. "I'm glad you like it." He hugged her, and then said, "Finish your food."

"Are we interrupting anything?" Rory's mother asked, coming into the living room.

Rose blushed and ducked her head, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. She glanced at Rory.

"No, you're not. I just gave Rose her gift, that's all."

"Did you two have a lovely time yesterday? What do you think of Leadworth?" She sat down in the armchair and looked at Rose.

"It's lovely," Rose replied, grateful for the subject change. "I wish I'd grown up in a place like this. Sometimes London just gets dull. Dull and overwhelming. I can't wait to come up again when it gets warmer and see all the green that London doesn't have. I could never understand why Rory chose to move to London. Although I'm glad he did."

"Believe me, 18 years in a small town where everyone knows everyone else gets a bit old. I enjoyed the change from being known as the awkward nerdy guy to basically unknown in a place where I could be anybody."

"I don't think anyone appreciates where they grew up until they look at it through someone else's eyes," Rose said quietly, balling up her napkin and setting it next to her mug. Rory nodded and they all sat in silence for a bit until Henry came into the room.

He spied the wrapping paper on the ground. "You started without me?"

Rory laughed. "I wanted Rose to go first. Figured it'd make you go faster so we can stay home and watch films after dinner."

When everything was cleaned up, Rory dug out some blankets and Rose turned on the TV. "If there are any cheesy Christmas movies on, we're watching those," he said as he came over, handing her a blanket.

Rose obliged and left it on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She chose to steal part of Rory's blanket instead of use her own and snuggled into his side. "This okay?" she asked.

He wrapped an arm around her and smiled. "It's perfect."

Three hours later and she'd fallen asleep on him. He gently shifted her off his shoulder and stood to pick her up off the sofa. Rose instinctively nestled into him and he took a second to brush a kiss across her forehead before heading up the stairs and tucking her into bed.

"Everything alright?" his mother asked when he came back down.

Rory shut off the television and folded the blankets. "She fell asleep. I think I'm going to turn in as well."

"I really like her, Rory. You two are good together."

"Thanks, mum." He gave her a hug before going back up to join Rose.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

She hadn't given him his present yet, saying she'd rather save it for New Year's, if he didn't mind. He said he didn't, and she kissed him. "It'll be worth the wait," she said.

"I'm sure it will be," he said, hugging her tightly.

He'd joined her at the Tyler mansion for the New Year's Eve party, and she'd laughed, telling him that he'd still have to wait for the next day to get his gift. When he'd protested more, she said he'd get it in the afternoon when she drove over to his flat and dropped it off. Rory pretended to be saddened, but he was glad at the prospect of seeing Rose twice that day.

He left shortly after midnight and a long kiss that left him breathless. He was woken a few short hours after he'd fallen asleep by his phone ringing. "Hello?"

"Rory, can you come to the hospital now? It's Rose." Jackie sounded worried.

He sat up in bed and started dressing. "I'll be there as quick as I can." Rory was at the hospital in record time and was met by Jackie and Mickey. "What happened?"

"Rose was driving one of her mates home from the party and on the way back she was hit by a drunk driver," Mickey answered. "It was a hit and run."

"Well is she alright? Can I see her?" He wanted nothing more than to run up to the room she was in.

"She broke her arm and hit her head against the steering wheel. She has a concussion and they're setting her arm right now. If you want, you can come with me to pick up some things for her at the house. She'll probably have to stay overnight." Jackie looked at him. "Rose will be awake by the time we get back."

Rory didn't want to leave her, but he knew there was no opposing Jackie and tagged along. "How bad is the concussion?" he asked when they were on the road.

"Worse than a minor one, but not completely terrible. You probably know more about it than I do. They'll know more when she wakes up."

The rest of the short ride was silent. Rory kept praying that Rose was really okay. He knew what could've happened to her, but he couldn't stop thinking about what could still be a problem.

While helping Jackie pack a small bag, he saw a wrapped box on the dresser with a sticky note that said "Rory" on it.

"Oh, go ahead and take it now," Jackie said. "She promised you."

Rory put it in the bag. "I'll open it when I get there."

"Open it now."

Rory sat on her bed and held the box in his lap. He was surprised when Jackie left him alone in her room and went downstairs. Carefully, he tore off the wrapping paper, setting it to the side, finding it to be a simple cardboard box. His fingers found the lid and he lifted it off.

Inside was a tattered, well-worn notebook, and underneath that, a new one, with a sheet of folded paper between the two. Rory set aside the old notebook and picked up the paper, unfolding it to find it covered with Rose's handwriting.

_Rory—The first notebook is my journal from my travels with the Doctor and the few trips I went on after coming here. I wanted you to have it. I've trusted you with my heart and now I'm trusting you with the only thing that kept me grounded when I first came here. The second one is for you. For you to record your adventures in, whatever they might be. You might not think this was worth waiting a few extra days for, but when you realize how long I've waited to give these to you, you'll understand. Thank you for being there for me from the start and not running from me when I gave you the chance. Whatever happens to me, never forget that I love you. xx Rose._

Rory folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket. He replaced the notebooks in the box and stood to see Jackie in the doorway. "Don't you hurt my daughter, okay?" She motioned to the box he was carrying. "She really loves you."

"I know," Rory said, following her to the car. "I know."


	10. Chapter 10

10.

He was sitting by her bed when she woke up, blinking groggily and looking for him. "Hey," he said gently, brushing hair back from her stitched temple. "Welcome back."

Rose smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, I promised you…"

"Don't worry about it." He pulled the letter out of his pocket. "It was worth waiting for."

Rose was silent for a moment, closing her eyes. "Be honest with me, how bad do I look?" she asked.

Rory chuckled. "Honestly, Rose, you look fine. I'm going to call a doctor in now to take a look at you, alright? I'm technically not on duty right now."

She nodded, and then used her uninjured arm to hold her palm against her head. "My head is killing me."

"That'd be the concussion," Rory said. "Sit tight, I'll be back in a second."

He wasn't allowed in the room because he wasn't family so when Dr. Gill came out, he stood up. "How is she?"

"No sign of memory loss. She just needs lots of rest and she'll recover just fine. Medically, it's a miracle she didn't come out with worse injuries. The cops had to cut her out of the car." He set his clipboard under his arm. "You can go in now. She can go home in another day or so."

Rory nodded and headed for the door.

"And Rory? I'll be seeing you at work tomorrow, right?"

"Of course."


	11. Chapter 11

11.

He came to visit her as soon as his shift was over. Rose was curled on the couch, casted arm resting on her stomach. "How are you feeling?" he asked. He set a pint of ice cream on the table in front of her.

"Better now that you're here," she replied, sitting up. "Did you bring spoons too?"

Smiling, Rory pulled two spoons out of the bag he had stuffed into his back pocket. "Dr. Gill told me you'd be fine in a month or so."

Rose stuck the spoon in the ice cream. "I get to go back to work in two weeks. Although I'm considering working from home as soon as I can get someone to email me files."

Rory slid across the couch and pulled her close, mindful of her injuries. "You need some rest, Rose Tyler," he said. "You work too hard. I need you fully healed as quickly as possible, okay?"

She gingerly tucked her head under his arm and handed him the remote. "Just keep bringing me ice cream and I'll be fine."

"I feel weird reading your journal," Rory said after a while.

Rose put her spoon down and looked up at him. "Rory, I think you know me better than anyone. I don't want to keep any secrets from you, not anymore. I'm not worried about you reading anything I never meant for you to see. I _want_ you to read it." She kissed his jaw. "Who knows, maybe you'll see something new in me when you've finished."

He stayed over until she fell asleep on him, and he carried her to her room with promises to Jackie to stop by the next day for dinner if he could. As he pulled out of the driveway, he decided he would be glad to be a part of the Tyler family


	12. Chapter 12

12.

As he promised, Rory brought her up to Leadworth as soon as the weather got warmer. He called it a celebration of her recovery, to which she pointed out she'd been fine for a month now.

"We never really celebrated properly," he said as they walked through the town. "I know they threw you a big party over at Torchwood but that wasn't us."

Rose squeezed his hand. "Well this is nice." She swung their hands between them.

"I finished reading your journal last night."

"And?"

"And you were right. There is more to you than normal people can see. And that's why I made sure we came up here when we did." He stopped walking.

"What's up?" Rose asked. She looked concerned.

"Well nothing's wrong if that's what you're wondering," Rory said. He looked at her, and then pulled his hand out of his pocket. He knelt in front of her. "So Rose Tyler, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Rose stared at him, not quite believing what he'd just asked. "I–you–yes….Yes!" she stammered. "Yes, I will marry you, Rory Williams."

He slipped the ring on her finger and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. Rory smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you said yes because if you hadn't, I don't know what I'd do."

"If you ask again, I could give you a chance to see." Rose grinned, tongue poking out between her teeth.

"Yeah, can we not do that?"

"Alright, silly." She tucked her head into his chest. "I love you."

"Love you too." They stood like that for a moment, enjoying each other's presence.

"When are we going to tell everyone?" Rose asked.

"What if we didn't tell anyone but made them figure it out for themselves?" Rory suggested.

"Mum would kill me. And then you," Rose pointed out.

"Okay, so we tell your parents. And everyone else has to figure it out from the ring."

"But Mum'll tell everyone. She'll try to plan the wedding and everything."

Rory cupped her face in his hands. "So we tell no one?"

Rose stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Not a single soul. As for the wedding, let's not talk about that yet."

"I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Love," she corrected. "You love me."

"Rose Tyler, I will always love you. _Always._"


	13. Chapter 13

13.

Jake was the first to notice when Rose returned to work on Monday. "Who's the lucky bloke?" he asked, sauntering in. He leaned against her desk.

Rose whacked him with a folder. "Rory, you idiot."

Jake feigned injury. "Well how was I supposed to know?"

Rose rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk.

"Congratulations anyway."

"Congratulations on what?" Mickey asked, walking into the room. "Someone get a promotion?"

"Rose is getting married," Jake explained.

Mickey looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You really are solidly in love with him, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I just wasn't sure. You were being careful. Oh just ignore me. I'm happy for you. You deserve him." He opened his arms for a hug and Rose stood, stepping into them.

"Thanks you guys. Now, we actually have work to do that isn't discussing my engagement, which I'd like you to keep quiet right now. Dad gave me some cold case files for us to look through before we go to the meeting and briefing later." She let go of Mickey and picked up a stack of folders, passing them to her friends. "No complaining this time or I'll have Dad cancel our next out of office adventure."

Jake plastered on a fake grin. "I love reading cold case files, Rose! Tell Pete I said thanks!"

"Thanks for what?"

The trio turned to see Pete standing in the office doorway.

"Uh, thanks for the morning assignment," Jake stammered.

Pete laughed. "While you two dig in, I'd like to have a word with my daughter." He looked to Rose. "Come with me?"

Rose nodded. She dropped the rest of her files on Jake's desk and followed Pete to his office.

"When were you going to tell us?" Pete asked when they sat down, nodding toward the ring.

"Rory and I figured we'd keep it quiet, let everyone figure it out on their own time. We want to take it slow and I didn't want mum to start planning a wedding already. It's not a big deal and she'd make it one."

Pete nodded. "She does like a good party," he said. "I know you're your own woman and you've been independent, but you came home for the night and still didn't tell us."

"I'm sorry, Dad. This was a decision Rory and I made though."

"You don't have to be sorry, Rose, I should be." Pete sighed. He tried to change the subject a bit. "When did he propose?"

"Saturday afternoon." She paused. "Promise me when you say something to mum that you'll tell her to keep quiet?"

"Of course. Have Rory come by the house for dinner tonight if he can."

Rose nodded. "I'll call him."

Pete stood and hugged his daughter. "I'm proud of you, Rose," he said. "Now, you should go back to your team. I'm sure they'll be happy for the help."


	14. Chapter 14

14.

Five months later, Jackie started throwing out wedding plans. She bombarded Rose as soon as she came home from work. "We should start looking at dresses. Where do you want to have it?"

"Actually, mum, I was thinking more of a small wedding. Maybe a civil ceremony."

Jackie looked offended. "But Rose, this is your _wedding_. You deserve an amazing day."

"I told Rory you'd start something like this. It's just…let me talk to him before we do anything." Rose said. "It's our wedding."

Jackie nodded reluctantly and Rose left to phone Rory. "She wants to start planning a massive wedding right now," she said when he picked up.

"Good morning to you too," he replied.

"Hi. But really, what are we going to do?"

"Either we let her take the reins and just sit back or we do something on our own."

"Oh, mum would kill me though." Rose turned around to make sure Jackie wasn't listening in.

"So let's do it."

Rose grinned. "Oh I love you."

"I know. What are you doing this weekend?"

"Nothing that I know of. Unless mum decides to drag me out shopping, which I can miss." Rose checked her schedule to make sure she was right. The whole weekend was clear.

"I'll make some calls later and get back to you, yeah? Just appease your mum for now, but don't buy anything." He sounded excited. "I have to get back to work. Love you."

"Rory! You shouldn't answer the phone when you're working. Get back to work. See you later."

They hung up and Rose pushed her phone into her pocket.

"What did he say?" Jackie asked when she walked back into the room.

"He said take it slow. We'll figure out the basics later. He's at work."

That seemed to appease her mother. "Well do you want to go out shopping this weekend?"

"Sorry, mum, I've got plans. Maybe next weekend?" Before Jackie could respond, Rose went up to wake Tony from his nap and bring him down. "You're getting big, aren't you?" she said to him.

Tony smiled back. His first birthday had been last month. He reached to stick his fingers in her mouth.

"No, Tony, I'm getting you something to eat," she laughed, making the child grab her finger instead. She put him in his high chair and went through the cabinets for his baby food. She wondered what it would be like if he was hers, and what raising kids with Rory would be like. She knew he'd be a great father from the times he'd interacted with Tony. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she moved around the kitchen, excitement for the weekend bubbling up. In the back of her mind, she thanked the Doctor. For doing what, she didn't know. But she knew he'd be happy with her lot in life.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

Rory picked her up Saturday morning. They'd agreed to let Pete know about the plans, telling him to take Jackie out and meet them at the registry. Rory's parents came down from Leadworth, and Rose invited Mickey and Jake along. "Because they were the first to know," she explained.

Jackie didn't know whether to be proud or furious when she arrived. Rose told her that she could plan a reception to celebrate. It was quick and simple, and almost an hour later, they were all going out to a late lunch to celebrate. Rory laughed when he caught Rose sneaking glances at the rings and pulled her in for a kiss. "Plenty of time for that when we get home," he said in her ear. "Enjoy yourself."

Home. Her home would be Rory's flat now. They'd agreed to move her in the day after. Rose leant her head on his shoulder and focused on committing every second of this day to memory.

They left for Rory's flat, _their_ flat before lunch was over. He hadn't known what to do when they got in, leaving Rose to make the decisions, something she did gleefully. "I can't believe we're married," she breathed against his lips while she worked to get his shirt off.

"If we wake up and this was all a dream, I'd do it all over again," he replied, working on her sun dress. He backed into the bed and fell onto it, bringing Rose down with him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For everything." Rose brushed her lips against his jaw. "For being you."


End file.
